Going the Distance
by sugarapplesweet
Summary: Kai has been anywhere and everywhere, it seems, but he's certainly a man of many different faces which makes it hard to understand him completely. However, maybe that's what makes him so alluring... Eventual three-shot inspired by three different songs.
1. So Long, Toots!

**Author's Note:** I tried my best, but I just couldn't decide on _one_ song I wanted to use for my story which is why this will be a multiple-shot instead. Since they will all connected by the presence of Kai and the idea of travel, I'm just trying to find songs that would suit that theme.

Once again, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies have inspired another song-fic, but although there version is really upbeat, mine is a little more reflective. Still, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I have no ownerships of Harvest Moon or its characters, nor do I own the song _So Long, Toots!_ which was both written and performed by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies.

--

**So Long, Toots!**

_So long, Toots, bound for Chicago!_

_It's been swell..._

_You got your hooks into me, Mamma-_

_You know damn well..._

She'd appeared out of no where without a single warning, like a summer breeze, and as soon as I caught a glimpse of those soft, cotton-candy curls and bright, ruby-red eyes, I felt my heart jump right out of my chest. She was perfect in almost every way, from her girlish, playful charms to her sweet, lingering kisses, yet I knew that not too long ago I'd felt the same way about another young woman. I'd left her in a distant land with no intention of ever sending word to reassure her that I still thought of her each and every waking moment. Of course, I also knew that the fantasies wouldn't ever last... since things like love rarely ever do.

Maybe I should've explained that from the very start.

_You know I gotta leave_

_Before you're up a tree..._

_And our good thing_

_Comes crashing to the ground!_

I was never one to stay in one place for long, and although I knew she knew this as well, there was very little I could do to console her once our house of cards began to fall. Women and tears... Why did it always have to come down to those two things? Better yet, why did I let them get so attached to me in the first place when I knew it'd only end in heartbreak for them? She deserved better, just like so many others that came before, but for some reason unknown to me, they always felt the need to love a rambling man such as myself.

What a terrible mistake that was, too...

_So long, Toots, bound for Chicago!_

_It's been grand..._

_It might as well be_

_Morocco or Pakistan..._

Adventure and passion... they're really one in the same when you think about it. After all, both can be wonderfully thrilling, and there are times that the feeling consumes every thought until nothing but nonsense remains. That's all we ever had in the first place, I suppose, as that's all it ever amounted to in the end. Just two kids playing a silly little game until they were called back home...

That's exactly what we were when I think about it now.

_Tonight is New Year's Eve,_

_But there's nothin' up my sleeve..._

_But a place to play_

_Where all the people play around!_

Life there would always too quiet for a guy like me anyway. A sleepy little town in the middle of no where could never keep my interest for long... regardless of any little beauty that found herself stranded there. My mind was sure to wander elsewhere only to be followed by my feet soon after. I needed excitement, and that was not the place in which to find it although I'd certainly searched for it as best I could.

If only for the sake of that lovely, little girl.

_So long, Toots, bound for Chicago!_

_It's all right..._

_I can't stay as long as I oughtta._

_It's almost light..._

With eyes all around to watch our every move and ears to hang on our every word, it was no wonder we'd found ourselves lost in the darkness at the very end of a pier while gazing down towards the gently lapping waves of the ocean below. Maybe I should've cried with her, or at the very least, offered a few comforting words to ease the growing ache in her chest. However, the problem was that I just couldn't find it in myself to do that for her. There wasn't any point in giving her false hope, after all, and so I let silence fill the space between us.

Better to leave her hating me than pining for a day that would never come.

_And that's the final star,_

_And you've been the best so far..._

_But you're sleepin' all alone_

_In that big sky!_

Put a girl on a pedestal and she's doomed to fall, and I knew I could only blame myself for putting her there. No matter what lines she'd rehearsed, they would only fall on deaf ears by the time she said them. Soon the curtain would come down just before her last line was to be spoken to the adoration of her last remaining, ever loyal fan, and there she would remain, poised for a performance that would never be complete... all alone with the ghost light. If I were a sentimental man with compassion left in my carefree heart to stir, I surely would've shed a tear for the poor girl.

Yet I was nothing more than another actor with no lines left to say.

_So long, Toots, bound for Chicago!_

There isn't any looking back into her eyes...

_So long, Toots, bound for Chicago!_

Because there isn't any way to save what's already been lost.

_So long, Toots, bound for Chicago now!_


	2. Mexico

**Author's Note: **I'm gone for a week, and yet all I have to show for it is a very poorly written (short) song-fic. _Wonderful._ I've been really busy with final assignments, though, so this helped me relax a little.

And I am in _love_ with CAKE! Although they first appeared in the early 90's, I just found about them now... Just goes to show how far behind the times I am. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harvest Moon or its characters, nor do I have the rights to _Mexico_ by CAKE.

--

**Mexico**

_I had a match,_

_but she had a lighter..._

_I had a flame,_

_but she had a fire~_

She was everything I'd told a woman should be, and yet if I'd known what lay behind that wonderful smile, I would never have fallen unknowingly into such a trap. She simply crooked her finger for beckon me, and there I was, begging at her side. She ordered me a drink before I could even ask her name. At the time and even now, I doubt that any man could've expected her reply. After all, the only thing she said was,

"Call me Anytime."

_I was bright,_

_but she was much brighter..._

_I was high,_

_but she was the sky~_

Her eyes were like bewitching emeralds and her tongue like a sharp knife which cut deep, but I took everything she gave me in stride. For every jab, jeer, and jest, I forgave her as long as she allowed me to be in her company. However, her dark blonde hair was all too tempting not to touch, yet when I let my fingers wander and slide through her golden tresses, she didn't even bother to swat my hand away. In fact... she nearly purred under my gentle touch. Was she just being a tease, or was there something else between us?

I don't think I'll ever know.

_Oh, baby..._

_I was bound for Mex-i-co..._

_Oh, baby..._

_I was bound to let... you... go..._

We just couldn't keep it together, I guess... although I still have to wonder what _it_ really was. A one night stand, a game, or maybe a bet we silently made between us? It could be any of those things, and I would never truly know. The real question is,

Do I even _want_ the answer?

_I don't know much about_

_Cinco de Mayo_

_I'm never sure_

_What it's all about~_

Anywhere but here is exactly where I want to be. As I lay on a bed in this unfamiliar place, I feel the pangs of guilt and regret for what I've gone and done. She didn't mean a thing to me, nor me to her... so why were we under the same sheets, side by side? She was beautiful, that much was certain, but what else I saw in her... I can't exactly say. After all, it was only her looks that captivated me in the beginning.

Or was it the end?

_I say I want you,_

_and you don't believe me..._

_You say you want me,_

_but I've got my doubts~_

People want and people take, not only from each other but from themselves as well. We can't accept the little things in life, though, because there's always something bigger and better out there just over the fence of our neighbor's yard. When I'm gone, I know she won't shed a single tear for the likes of me. I wander from place to place, never staying quite the same, and so I could never be the same man to her that I once was or might've been. The night is gone, and the wine is as well which leaves nothing for us to share. All we have are the memories of what came to be...

Now how did we end up here?

_Oh, baby..._

_I was bound for Mex-i-co..._

_Oh, baby..._

_I was bound to let... you... go..._

Even if things had a chance of working out between us, I'm sure there'd be other obstacles in our way, more than we could ever hope to handle. Take that other young man who sat beside her, glaring at me through his oversized glasses, while we chatted the night away, and I felt the chills run down my spine to be pinned under his unwavering gaze. Without a word between us, I knew he hated me. I don't think that would ever have changed, regardless of whether any of this had happened, since something about those eyes of his told me we were destined to be rivals. No matter what I said or did, his feelings towards me would always stay the same.

Maybe he was right about me, though.

_I had a match,_

_but she had a lighter..._

_I had a flame,_

_but she had a fire~_

Last night, she was the one to take me by the hand like I'd done with girls so many times before, and as we made our way upstairs, my mind began to race in confusion. She pulled so hard... that it was almost as if she were desperate to get away into some tight space where we could hide ourselves. I was eager, too, of course, but at the same time, I didn't know why she chose _me_ in the end_._ I was nothing nothing more than a man who's head was filled with endless stories of the world outsides, yet she gave it all away to me...

For one moment of happiness.

_I was bright,_

_but she was much brighter..._

_I was high,_

_but she was the sky~_

Gazing at her in the dim light of the early morning while I pull on my clothes that were strewn about the floor, I realize that her beauty has faded from the night before. Her hair has lost its luster, and her lips are chapped and swollen. She furrows her brow as she sleeps on, but I can't bring myself to wake her... only to say good-bye. I don't want her to remember my face outside of those dewy memories that only dreams could hope to bring her. I don't need her to know who it truly was that stole whatever innocence she might've had left because I can't bare to know it myself.

You see, that's why I have to leave her now.

_Oh, baby..._

_I was bound for Mex-i-co..._

_Oh, baby..._

_I was bound to let... you... go..._


	3. Leaving on a Jet Plane

**Author's Note:** To be honest, this is a fairly old song fic that's been rotting around here for quite a while, but I just moved it into this collection since I'm trying to keep my page all pretty and in order. Besides, it fits the theme too perfectly for it not to be in here.

I've loved this song by Peter, Paul, and Mary since I was a little girl, and although it's a bit sad, the music always made me smile.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to HM, its characters, nor do I own the song _Leaving on a Jet Plane _by Peter, Paul, and Mary.

--

**Leaving on a Jet Plane**

_All my bags are pack, I'm ready to go._

_I'm standing here outside your door._

We both knew the day would come when I'd be off again, but I can't say I've ever felt this way before. The thought of leaving you... it's a lot harder for me to take than either one of us could've realized. When I watched you pack up my things with such loving care, I wondered why you didn't shed a single tear. Was it because you had simply come to accept that I was leaving, or were you grateful to be rid of me? Although I can't say for sure, I hope you'll be missing me; I'll certainly be missing you. That's why I'm here...

I don't want you to forget me once I'm gone.

_I hate to wake you up to say goodbye,_

_But the dawn is breakin', its early morn._

You never were a morning person, but I knew you'd make an exception for me. After all, you promised you'd do whatever you could to keep the smile on my face. You always said it was the reason you first fell in love with me, and I don't think you realize how much that meant to me. Sweet words were what made me charming, but you knew there was more to me than those pretty, little whispers which was all I could offer a woman. You gave me so much more that I didn't deserve although I never seemed to give you anything in return. You used to assure me that none of that mattered to you.

My happiness was yours.

_The taxis waiting, he's blowin' his horn_

_Already I'm so lonesome I could cry._

Although he's calling out for me to get the move on, and he says he'll just go and leave me here, I know he'll wait. He's not going to miss out on the first fare of the day, no matter how long he has to sit on the street. The only thing that's important to me right now is you, and nothing could make me think otherwise. You're a strong woman, though, since I'm the one tearing up, but I wouldn't expect anything else from you. You used to tell me that big girls don't cry... However, I don't think that's true at all because I know that after I'm gone, you'll bury your face in your pillow.

I just want you to know that it's perfectly alright.

_So kiss me and smile for me._

_Tell me that you'll wait for me._

_Hold me like you'll never let me go..._

_I'm leavin' on a jet plane._

_I don't know when I'll be back again._

_Oh, babe, I hate to go..._

Please don't go just yet because I have so much more to say. I've never thought it was needed before this moment, here and now, but I just want you to know that I'm... sorry. Though I've caused you so much grief in the past seemingly without a care, my apathy was all a farce, a cheat, a lie. For every hurt I cost you, I paid double the price after I came to realize how I'd done you wrong... I need to thank you for being kind enough to forgive me for everything I've said and done. No one else was ever that good to me...

...especially, when I didn't deserve it.

_There's so many times I've let you down._

_So many times I've played around._

_I tell you now, they don't mean a thing..._

Karen, Popuri, Mary... They were all just a part of some cruel game I got caught up in. I'm not naive enough to believe that you didn't suspect or even know, but I have to ask myself why you didn't just up and leave me. Who knows how many times I broke your heart, time and time again? I'll never understand what reason you could possibly have left to love me after all I've put you through, but I'm grateful. If I'd lost you, I would be nothing more than empty shell of a man. None of the other girls cared for me like you did when I was down and out on my luck.

You're the only girl for me.

_Every place I go, I think of you._

_Every song I sing, I sing for you._

_When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring._

With all the places I've been and all those I have left to go, you might think I'll come to forget you, but I'm here to assure you that's not true in the least. You're the first thought on my mind in the morning, and your name is the last word of my lips at night. I haven't loved another the way I do you which is the honest to Goddess truth. You're the only one that keeps me coming back, year after year. Although I can't say what it is about you that really makes hard to go, I can promise you that one day I'll never have to leave. There'll be a time when you'll know that for certain.

On bended knee, it's then I'll ask you to be mine.

_So kiss me and smile for me._

_Tell me that you'll wait for me._

_Hold me like you'll never let me go..._

_I'm leaving on a jet plane._

_I don't know when I'll be back again._

_Oh, babe, I hate to go..._

Don't mind the tears I'm crying because they're all for you. I've accepted that you won't let yours fall even though your beautiful, blue eyes are misted over. You're everything I ever wanted while I was the only one not to know. I'm nothing without you in my arms, like half a person, and I'm dreading that feeling whenever I have to leave you behind. I wish I didn't have to although I know where you stand on the matter. I've asked you countless times for you to join me, but your answer is always the same.

"You'll need a home to come back to."

_Now the time has come to leave you..._

_One more time... let me kiss you..._

Each time I kiss your satin lips, I feel my heart swell at the memory of the last. I'll never forget this moment when we say our good-byes. I can't kiss another as long as I can think back on the nights when you were at my side, nestled in the bed we shared. Your long, blonde hair cascaded over the silk pillows, and I saw your gentle curves under the satin sheets which my hazy thoughts traveled over and along. The peaceful expression on your sleeping face reassured me it would be alright. One thought is more than enough to comfort me on the lonely nights I'll have to bear...

There'll come a day it will be more than just a fond remembrance.

_Then close your eyes, I'll be on my way._

_Dream about the days come..._

No matter how far away I may travel, I don't want to know you're pining for me. When I think of you, I only want to imagine your happiness, and I want you to forget anything but the joys in life. I tell you this because I don't want to be the one to break your tender heart. I might've broken many before, but none have been as gentle as yours. They were nothing more than wilted flowers while you continue to bloom, even in my absence. I wonder how you're so different from them.

Do you believe in the words I confide in you?

_When I won't have to leave alone._

_About the times, I won't have to say..._

As I tuck the stray lock behind your dainty ear, I'll share in whispers all the things I've ever loved about you. Your smile, your tears... your laughter, your cries... your dreams, your nightmares... They're everything I love while I think of you, and there's no one else who could possibly compare. Even if you find fault in yourself, in my eyes, you're perfection personified. That's what it means to me when I tell you what you what to hear the most. I can assure you that these three words will be the ones to cast the final, everlasting spell.

I love you.

_So kiss me and smile for me._

_Tell me that you'll wait me._

_Hold me like you'll never let me go..._

_I'm leavin' on a jet place._

_I don't know when I'll be back again._

_Oh, babe, I hate to go..._


End file.
